Passive optical networks are becoming prevalent in part because service providers want to deliver high bandwidth communication capabilities to customers. Passive optical networks are a desirable choice for delivering high speed communication data because they may not employ active electronic devices, such as amplifiers and repeaters, between a central office and a subscriber termination. The absence of active electronic devices may decrease network complexity and cost and may increase network reliability.
Passive optical networks may employ optical splitters to take a signal from a single incoming fiber and make it available to a number of output fibers. For example, a distribution cable may include 24 optical fibers and may run from a central office to a distribution location, such as an equipment enclosure. At the equipment enclosure, each fiber in the distribution cable may be split into a number of outgoing fibers which are made available to subscribers. For example, passive optical networks may employ 1:2, 1:4, 1:8, 1:16 and 1:32 splitting ratios for making optical data available to subscriber locations. Outgoing fibers from the equipment enclosure, i.e. at the output of the optical splitters, need to be attached to subscriber locations. Since the outgoing fibers may be housed in a cable for protection, a subset of the fibers needs to be accessed and made available to a like number of subscribers.
Current techniques employ splices for breaking a subset of fibers out of a distribution cable. These splices are normally performed in the field using trained personnel after the distribution cable is installed. This form of splicing is referred to as manual splicing, or field splicing. Manual splicing may be time consuming and may be expensive in terms of labor because personnel must be specially trained and performing splicing operations may be time intensive. In addition, material costs associated with splicing cables may be expensive since splice enclosures need to be environmentally secure within a wide range of variables. Manual splicing may also require specialized tools.
Passive optical networks may be extended via connectors located along the distribution cable, creating branched optical paths. Branch cables may be connected to these connectors after the distribution cable is installed, for example because no subscribers were located near the distribution cable when it was originally installed. A technician or other personnel installing a branch cable from the connector location to a subscriber location generally tests the link between a central office and the connector to ensure optical continuity at the time the branch cable is installed. Testing typically involves travel between the central office location and the connector location to inject a signal at one location and detect that signal at the second location. The distance between the central office and the connector location may be substantial, and require time-consuming travel by the technician.